Review: Thought-Provoking REDDER BLOOD Premieres at The Hub Theatre

The Hub Theatre's REDDER BLOOD, co-produced with the Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia, is many things: a dysfunctional family drama, a romantic sitcom, and a philosophical exploration. But what it does most successfully is encourage thought-provoking discussion about the vast topics it covers.

Gregg Henry directs an excellent cast, featuring Helen Hayes award winner Jenna Sokolowski, in the world premiere run of REDDER BLOOD. Sadie (Sokolowski), a physical therapist, has grown up in an interfaith household with her Israeli Jewish mother Ada (Vanessa Bradchulis) and her father Sahm (Michael Kramer), who has cycled through a "pu pu platter" of world religions in an effort to find one that makes him feel better about his own mistakes. Sadie's comical kid sister Sarah (Megan Graves) and young rabbi brother Aaron (Carlos Saldana) keep Sadie grounded as she tries to solve her family's problems and navigate her new romantic relationship with affable Spencer (Jonathan Feuer). But Sadie's main concern is that she's been hearing the voice of God (Dawn Ursula) her whole life and remains uncertain what to do about it.

The entire family seems authentic enough and banters easily in typical, dysfunctional fashion, but the unexpected star is Ursula as the voice of God. Aided by ethereal projections (Patrick Lord) and gorgeous sound design (Matthew M. Nielson), the effect of Ursula's voice is transporting and a true highlight of the play.

As Sadie listens to God, who periodically doles out advice dotted with self-referential humor, she comes to terms with her self-worth and deals with thorny issues that audiences will find relevant. In one intense scene, Sadie confronts her father about his cheating and his sudden conversion to Islam: was it to spite Ada, to absolve himself of his sins, or both? What begins as a play about a family with multiple faiths develops into an analysis of how people use religion for different purposes, and how perhaps people should think not of what religion can do for them, but of what they can do for others. A lighter theme is the reminder to find beauty and joy in seemingly insignificant things - something God notes that Sadie does exceptionally well.

The minimalist scenic design (Kristen Morgan) and multipurpose props (Jacy Barber) allow the focus to remain on these swirling ideas about life and religion with minimal distractions. The strong performances and themes kept me rapt throughout, wondering what the culmination of everything would be. Ultimately, the direction of the plot becomes somewhat tiresome, and I wasn't sure what to make of the ending, but I was eager to talk about it.

No matter what your reaction is to what takes place onstage, further contemplation is bound to unfold afterwards. (Fortunately, the Hub offers opportunities for interfaith conversations following every Sunday performance.) Though the play has its flaws, its strength is in its ability to encourage dialogue about the human experience. And isn't that always worthwhile?

Running time: approximately 1 hour 40 minutes without an intermission.

The Hub Theatre's REDDER BLOOD runs through July 31st, 2016, at the John Swayze Theatre at the New School of Northern Virginia, 9431 Silver King Ct., Fairfax, VA 22031. Tickets can be purchased at thehubtheatre.org.

Photo: Jenna Sokolowski as Sadie; courtesy of the Hub Theatre.

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